Welded composite panels

ABSTRACT

Joining of two elements of aluminium or aluminum alloys, where at least one element is the outer layer forming a part of a composite. The connection is made via a weld bead made by fusion welding at least one outer layer of the one element to the second element. The invention is particularly well suited for manufacturing complex, mechanically stable, load bearing structures of any desired shape that contain composites. The invention also concerns the method for fusion welding composites in which the preparation of the weld bead area is of decisive importance.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 08/295,219, filed Aug. 24,1994, pending.

The present invention relates to the connection of two elements ofaluminum or aluminum alloys, where at least the first element is anouter layer forming part of a composite comprising a thermallydecomposable core and at least one outer layer, and relates also to aprocess for manufacturing such joints. The invention relates further tothe use of the process for manufacturing complex load-bearing structuresthat are mechanically stable and are of any desired form.

Composites, such as 3 to 200 mm thick sandwich panels made up of e.g.two outer layers of corrosion resistant aluminum alloys and a plasticcore are finding ever increasing application in the building industrybecause of their favorable material properties such as low weight,corrosion resistance and almost unlimited shaping possibilities. Inarchitectural applications for example, composite materials are employedas facade cladding, or composites with a thermally insulating core ofplastic, mineral wool, foamed aluminum or foamed glass are employed asload-bearing facade elements, dividing walls or door fillers androofing. Such light-weight, but rigid building elements featuring a coreof aluminum honeycomb, balsa wood, foamed aluminium or plastic betweentwo outer sheets of high strength aluminum alloys also find extensiveapplication in aircraft manufacture and in the aerospace industry.

In the following text the term composite material always signifies amechanically stable and load-bearing material having a core and at leastone outer layer.

Metal constructions can be manufactured relatively easily by mechanicalshaping or in the case of aluminum sections for example by extrusion,and assembled into complex structures by bolting, riveting, welding oradhesive bonding. Composites on the other hand are usually produced inthe form of panels. Using composites for complex constructions involvestherefore more extensive joining than metal constructions.

Assembling or joining various composite material construction elementsinto complex composite structures has taken place up to now essentiallyby bolting, riveting, adhesive bonding or, in the case of compositematerials with non combustible cores or core materials that do notdecompose at high process temperatures, also by welding.

Because of the space they require, mechanical attachment means such asbolts or rivets used to join together structural composite elementslimit the possibilities for constructing complex structures.Consequently that also limits the use of composites for suchapplications.

Adhesive bonding on the other hand often requires special surfacecleaning; the strength achieved is often quite limited or the area to bebonded has to be very large, which again limits the possibilities ofconstruction.

Constructing with composites acquires greater flexibility if thestructural elements are joined by welding. Because of the temperaturesdeveloped during welding, that method of joining can be considered onlyfor composites with thermally stable core materials.

Up to now the welding of materials with less stable, i.e. thermallydecomposable, core materials such as plastics has always failed as aresult of the destruction or decomposition of the core material as aresult of the high temperatures that prevail during that joiningprocess. As a result of the decomposition or combustion of the corematerial during welding, gases or vapors can be released in anuncontrollable manner, making it impossible to obtain uniform, pore-freewelds. Consequently, it is impossible to achieve a durable, mechanicallystable joint. Furthermore, the decomposition of the core material in thevicinity of the weld seam effects a reduction in the mechanicalproperties of the core and so of the whole joint; sometimes it evenleads to at least partial elamination of the outer layers from the core.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aim of the present invention is to avoid the above mentioneddisadvantages and to effect the joining of two elements made of aluminumor aluminium alloys where at least one element is part of, viz., anouter layer of a composite material.

That aim is fulfilled by way of the invention in that the connectionjoint is a weld bead, made by fusion welding, that is situated at leastin part between the outer layer of the first element and the secondelement.

The elements to be joined may be of aluminium, aluminium alloys oraluminium based alloys and their surfaces may be pretreatedmechanically, physically and/or chemically. Surface treatment processessuitable for the elements to be joined are for example brushing, sandblasting, rolling, polishing, engraving, etching, filing, milling,anodizing, painting, caustic etching, chromate treatment, phosphatetreatment, galvanizing, dispersion treatment, enamel coating, laminationcoating or thermally spraying.

The object of the invention may concern the connection of a section orsheet of aluminium or aluminum alloys to at least one outer layer of acomposite material. The section or sheet may be joined either to onlyone outer layer of the composite, or to the end face of a composite; inthe latter case one or both outer layers of the composite may be joinedto the section or sheet. Furthermore, the section or sheet may be joinedat any desired angle to the outer surface or end face of the composite.

The object of the invention may, however, also concern a joint betweenat least one outer layer of a composite to at least one outer layer of asecond composite or between parts of the very same outer layer of acomposite, whereby, the outer layers thus welded together may lie at anydesired angle to each other.

The connection of the outer layers of two composites may concern buttjoining of the elements that are to be joined, or it may concern thejoining of the core material of one element to the outer layer of theother element.

In the case of the joints according to the invention, especially when itconcerns composites with thick cores, the end faces of the laminate coremay additionally be adhesively bonded in order to provide support andreinforcement to the joint according to the invention.

Joining together parts of the one and the same outer layer of acomposite may concern, for example, the fixation of a bent composite,the outer layer of which has been separated on the inner facing side ofthe bend, for example transverse to the direction of bending, in orderto enable the bending operation to be carried out better.

The joint according to the invention always features a weld bead, madeby fusion welding, that is saturated between two elements of aluminum oraluminum alloys i.e. the composite outer layers to be joined must be ofaluminum or aluminum alloys.

Composites may be fiber reinforced high-tech materials with complicatedlayered structure or simply structured, favorably priced laminates inthe form of sandwich panels.

As a rule sandwich panels are simple in structure, normally in the formof composite panels having a symmetrical laminas make-up with a corelayer and two outer aluminum sheets. In such cases the aluminum outersheets essentially determine the mechanical properties such as e.g.flexural stiffness, while the main role of the core is to maintain agiven distance between the outer sheets. Apart from this basicstructure, such laminates may feature further layers such as adhesivefilms or paint layers, with the result that a normal, commerciallyavailable laminate may readily feature 7 or more layers.

The properties of such laminates are for example low density, highflexural stiffness, good damping properties, high resistance toelectrical discharging, ease of shaping, excellent flatness, almost anysurface properties and good service life.

The applications open to using composite panels or composite semis inlaminate form are therefore very varied; they range from shaped facadepanels through cladding for roof edges, tunnels, walls and ceilings toweatherproof table tennis tables, display stands and vehiclesuperstructures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention and possible applications of the process accordingto the invention are explained by way of example in the following withthe aid of FIGS. 1 to 4, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a cross-section through a joint according to the inventionbetween a sheet and the outer layer of a composite;

FIG. 2 shows schematically a cross-section through two composites thathave been joined perpendicular to each other;

FIG. 3 shows schematically a butt weld between two composites; and

FIG. 4 shows the principle of securing a bent composite.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The joint according to the invention are based on fusion welding of atleast one outer layer of a composite to a second element, whereby allcommercially available materials of aluminum or aluminum alloys may beemployed for the materials to be welded together.

The purity of the aluminum or the composition of the aluminum alloys isnot critical for the joint according to the invention. In practicealuminum having a purity of 98.3% and better and aluminum based alloyswith or without dispersion strengthening have proved to be suitable.Preferred are alloys for casting, rolling, wrought and forging out ofaluminum. The thickness of the outer layers may be between 0.2 and 5 mm.In practice outer layers of thicknesses between 0.3 and 3 mm and inparticular those between 0.3 and 1.5 mm have been found to be suitable.

The thermally decomposable core materials coming into question for thejoint according to the invention are not critical. The compositematerials employed may comprise, for example, cores of thermoplastics,elastomers or duroplastics, whereby cores of thermoplastics orduroplastics are preferred.

The cores may also contain, at least in part, cores or core materialsthat are not thermally decomposable.

The core materials may be reinforced by weaves or fibers and/orstructured materials such as a honeycomb structure, for example.Specially preferred composite materials feature a core containingpolyolefins, such as polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP), foamedpolyvinylchloride (PVC), foamed polyurethane, foamed polystyrene spheresbonded by epoxy resin, or foams containing polyesters. The cores may, inaddition, also contain smaller or larger amounts of additives such asorganic or inorganic fillers, for example pigments or mineral fillermaterials. If desired, the cores may also contain honeycomb shapedstructures of aluminim or other materials.

The core materials may be joined to the outer layers by thermal oradhesive means. In addition, the core may comprise a plurality of layersjoined by thermal or adhesive means.

The thickness of the core layer may amount to 1 to 300 mm, a thicknessof 2 to 200 mm being preferred.

A preferred version of the joint according to the invention is such thatthe weld bead makes no direct contact with the core material. In orderto ensure that this space is provided by a recess in the core material,the distance of the weld bead to the core material for the objectaccording to the invention is preferably 0.5 to 5 mm and in particularbetween 1 and 3 mm.

In a particularly preferred version the surface of the core materialcreated by this recess makes an acute angle of 45 to 60° to the outerlayer undercut by the recess.

The residual joint areas created by the recess that are not welded, mayif desired be adhesively bonded. This may, for example in the case of abutt joint between two composites, concern the parts of the end faces ofthe core created by the recess, or e.g. in the case of a right-angledjoint between two composites, the surface between part of the outerlayer created by the recess in one composite and the remaining end faceof the other composite.

The end faces of the core layers participating in the joint according tothe invention may at least partially make contact with the facingsurface of the second element in the joint or be at a distance e.g. ofless than 3 mm from each other. The mechanical properties of the jointdepend partly on this distance: the larger the distance, the moreelastic the joint. If there is no direct mechanical contact between theend faces of the core participating in the joint and the opposite lyingelement in the joint the transfer of mechanical forces takes placeessentially via the metal layers that are joined. If on the other handthe end face of the core of the one element butts onto the secondelement of the joint, the mechanical forces are also transferred via thecore layers and the joint is correspondingly stiffer. The same behaviorapplies in terms of thermal coupling of elements according to theinvention or in terms of electrical parameters. The physical propertiesof the joint according to the invention can therefore be influenced viathe design of the joint.

With respect to the process the object of the invention is achieved inthat the connection is made by fusion welding of at least one outerlayer of the composite material of the one element with the otherelement.

During the welding of composite materials gases and vapors may escape inan uncontrolled manner for example from the adhesive of the compositematerial or as a decomposition product of the core material. In order toobtain a pore-free and crack-free weld bead of high strength, the corematerial is, in terms of the present invention, preferably removed,prior to welding in the region of the welding, in such a way that arecess is produced and the distance between the place to be welded andthe core material is 0.5 to 5 mm, in particular 1 to 3 mm. The undercutproduced below the outer surface results in freely suspended ends of theouter layers concerned along a length of 0.5 to 5 mm. In addition, thesurface of the core material created by the recess makes an acute angleof 45 to 60° to the surface of the undercut outer layer. The solutionaccording to the invention ensures therefore that, during the joining ofwelding process, no gases and vapors or less of these are formed bydecomposition of the core material, that any gases and vapors formed canescape almost without hindrance, and consequently molten metal isprevented from being ejected by gas pressure during welding, an effectwhich can lead to porosity or even to holes and cracks in the weld bead.

A preferred version of the process according to the invention is suchthat the areas to be joined are positioned at a distance of 0 to 3 mmfrom each other and then welded together.

The process according to the invention can also be employed to createmechanically stable joints with bent composites. For that purpose, priorto bending, the outer layer on the inner side of the bend is separatedperpendicular to the direction of bending, the weld bead preparationaccording to the invention carried out by forming a recess below theseparated outer layer and the composite bent; the mechanical fixation ofthe now bent composite is then made by welding the previously separatedouter layer.

In the process according to the invention the fusion welding may becarried out using a laser beam. In that case the energy required forwelding is supplied to the material by way of high energy light.

When laser welding aluminum or aluminum alloys one must take note thatonly a small amount of the emitted energy is absorbed by the surface: inthe case of CO₂ lasers the fraction of absorbed energy is typically 2%of the emitted energy. This characteristic of aluminum surfaces meansthat lasers with very highly concentrated energy are required, which inturn reduces the possibility of employing laser welding to materialthicknesses of typically 0.3 to 6 mm.

The concentrated power required for welding can be obtained using solidstate or molecular lasers. Particularly suitable are solid state laserssuch as the neodymium: YAG lasers or molecular lasers such as e.g. theCO₂ laser.

The most important molecular laser for shaping materials is the CO₂laser which features over 100 wave lengths in the range 9.14 μm to 11.01μm with a maximum intensity of 10.6 μm. It exhibits high efficiency andhigh output in continuous operation. A CO₂ laser of 2 to 15 kW is usefulfor the process according to the invention.

The most important solid state laser for technical applications is theNd (neodymium): YAG laser. YAG is the abbreviation for Yttrium AluminumGarnet (Y₃ Al₅ O₁₂). The most powerful emission of a Nd: YAG laser is ata wavelength δ=1.064 μm. The short wavelength of the Nd: YAG laserrepresents a significant advantage of that kind of laser over the CO₂type lasers. This makes it possible to conduct the light along glassfibers and provides better absorption of energy during laser treatmentof aluminum alloys. Suitable and useful for the process according to theinvention are Nd: YAG lasers with a power output of 0.5 to 3 kW, inparticular 1 to 1,4 kW.

The laser welding process according to the invention may be carded outwith or without a welding alloy e.g. in the form of a welding rod.

Such welding alloys serve mainly as filler metal to maintain weld beadthickness when the gap between the areas to be joined is large. Thechoice of welding rod/wire composition depends on the composition of thematerials to be joined and on the properties required of the weldedjoint. Particularly well suited filler metal alloys for the processaccording to the invention are those with compositions such as those inTable 1:

                  TABLE 1    ______________________________________                  Alloy code    Alloy type    DIN 1732      AA*    ______________________________________    Al 99.5       S-Al99.5      1050 A    AlMg3         S-AlMg3       ≈5554/5654    AlMg4.5Mn     S-AlMg4.5Mn   5183    AlMg5         S-AlMg5       5356    AlSi5         S-AlSi5       4043 A    AlSi12        S-AlSi12      4047 A    ______________________________________     *International Alloy Registration

In order to guarantee that the welding wire melts during laser welding,the diameter of the wire must be the same as or smaller than thediameter of the focused laser beam. The rate of feed of wire depends onthe rate of welding, the depth of welding and the width of the gap.

The filler metal rod/wire may be preheated inductively in order to keepto a minimum the necessary amount of heat fed to the material duringwelding.

For the laser welding process according to the invention the preferredconditions when using a CO₂ laser are: a welding rod of 1.0 mm diameterat a feed rate of 0.8 to 1.2 m/min along with a beam 0.9 to 1.2 mm indiameter. The welding speed that can be achieved under these conditionslie between 1.3 and 2.4 m/min. Without filler rod the welding speed istypically between 0.9 and 1 m/min. With a pulsed Nd:YAG laser the pulsefrequency is typically 30 Hz. The protective atmosphere employed duringlaser welding is preferably a He/At mixture, the mount of inert gasmixture fed being typically 8-12 l. The inert gas atmosphere may,however, also contain up to 1 vol. % N₂, preferably around 0.5 Vol. %N₂.

A further version of the process according to the invention lies in theapplication of a pulsed welding process optimized for welding speed. Inprinciple welding process that are suitable are those such as TIGwelding (tungsten-inert-gas welding), or MIG (metal-inert-gas welding).

In the case of MIG welding the electric arc is formed in an inert gasbetween a wire electrode that is consumed and the part to be welded. Ahigh current density enables high welding speeds to be achieved but,however, also causes the welding rod electrode to be melted at a highrate.

In the case of TIG welding the electric arc is formed in an inert gasatmosphere between a tungsten electrode which does not melt and the partto be welded. The tungsten electrode only serves to supply electriccurrent during the welding process.

Both TIG and MIG welding belong to the so called inert gas weldingmethods. These methods are such that, during welding, the electrode, thearc and the welding zone are enshrouded in an atmosphere of inert gassuch as e.g. argon, helium or mixtures thereof. In special cases, suchas e.g. during the welding of thick sheet or plate, a mixture of inertgases containing e.g. nitrogen or oxygen may be employed.

Aluminum and aluminum alloys frequently exhibit a stable, tightly bondedoxide layer with a high melting point (over 2000° C.). To achieve goodquality welds, that layer must be removed before or during the weldingoperation. In inert gas welding processes this normally takes place as aresult of the cleaning effect of the ionised protective gas and theeffect of electrons flowing from the workpiece to the electrode.

In the conventional MIG process direct current and positively poledelectrode are employed; in conventional TIG welding alternating ordirect current is used along with a negatively poled electrode.

Conventional MIG welding is chosen mainly for welding 3 to 50 mm thickmaterial, conventional TIG welding for 0.5 to 10 mm thick material. Ingeneral with MIG welding the welding speed that can be achieved is twoto three times that achieved with TIG welding.

With MIG and TIG welding methods the electrodes may be fed either directcurrent (dc) or alternating current (ac) in any form. When welding withdirect current, the electrode may be the negative or positive pole. Anegatively poled electrode emits electrons which, on striking theworkpiece which forms the anode, release their kinetic energy in theform of heat. About two thirds of this energy is absorbed by theworkpiece, one third by the electrode.

Negatively poled electrodes are, however, normally unsuitable for TIGand MIG welding of aluminum as they do not produce any cleaning effect.An exception here is TIG-dc-He-minus pole welding of aluminum in whichthe high concentration of heat in the workpiece not only removes theoxide skin, but breaks it up in such a way that a good weld joint can beachieved.

If the electrode is positively poled, the electrons flow from the meltpool to the electrode. The heat is distributed therefore in the reverseratio to that with a negatively poled electrode. Furthermore, when theelectrode is the positive pole, the oxide skin in the weld zone isremoved by the combined action of the stream of electrons and thepositively charged ions of the inert gas.

The inert gas prevents air from reaching the weld pool. It also has astabilizing effect on the welding arc. The single atom noble gases suchas argon and helium or mixtures thereof have been found suitable foraluminum and aluminum alloys.

The different conditions that arise with direct current due to polaritycan be combined in a simple manner using altemating current. Particularattention must be drawn however to the problem of distortion, due tohigh heat input, that can arise using alternating current. Thisdistortion can be counteracted by choosing a square wave current supplyand by influencing the electric arc.

Although the melting point (630°-660° C.) is much lower than that ofsteel, welding aluminum calls for about the same amount of heat as forsteel. This is due to the high thermal conductivity and heat of fusionof aluminum.

Shrinkage during the solidification of aluminum and the large mount ofthermal expansion and contraction during the heating and cooling resp.,can under some circumstances lead to welding cracks, distortion andinternal stresses. Counteracting that is the low modulus of elasticityand the lower welding temperatures. The distortion is very dependent onthe welding method used and so is less with those introducing smallmounts of heat than those introducing larger amounts of heat.

In the case of the process according to the invention there is a furtherreason for having to keep the heat input to the substrate to a minimum:As the materials to be joined may contain plastic cores and adhesivesthat exhibit only limited stability with respect to thermal effects, thetemperature of the process must be kept as low as possible whilewelding.

These objectives are fulfilled by way of the invention in that thefusion welding is carried out using TIG or MIG pulsed arc weldingprocesses.

In pulsed welding the basic current supply has superimposed on it pulsesof current usually in rectangular wave form, the frequency, width andheight of which can be set independently. This way the energy supply tothe material to be welded can be optimally adjusted to suit the widevariety of material combinations such as section/composite orcomposite/composite.

As with all welding methods the aim with the process according to theinvention is to achieve optimum weld seam quality at maximum weldingspeed. These optimum welding parameters can be readily obtained by meansof preliminary trials, in each case here referring to a MIG or TIGpulsed arc welding method optimised for welding speed.

The processes according to the invention may be carried out with orwithout addition of a filler metal (see Table 1). These filler metalsare normally in the form of welding wires having a diameter of 0.8, 1.0,1.2, 1.6 or 2.4 mm, whereby for TIG and MIG pulsed arc welding methods adiameter of 1.2 mm is particularly preferred. Further, the filler metalmay be preheated inductively.

With the TIG pulsed arc method an inert gas atmosphere preferably ofargon or a mixture of argon/helium is used, whereby a small amount ofoxygen, up to 2 Vol. % may be added to this mixture. A typical amount ofgas added is 8 l/min of Ar or Ar/He and possibly 1 Vol. % O₂. With anarrow arc this permits excellent penetration, accompanied by a narrowheat affected zone and low load on the tungsten electrode.

A wide arc without significant penetration is however particularlysuitable for joining thin workpieces. The TIG pulsed arc welding methodis suitable for manual or mechanized welding workpieces with a thicknessof 0.5-6 mm.

Typical values for the TIG process according to the invention are apulse frequency of 500 Hz. welding current 80-120A, filler metal feedrate 1.2-1.5 m/min and welding speed 0.4 to 0.8 m/min.

When using the MIG pulsed arc welding method for the fusion weldingprocess according to the invention a protective atmosphere of argon oran argon/helium mixture is preferred, possibly containing a smallfraction, less than 2 Vol. % O₂. In particular workpieces thicker than1.5 mm may be welded by this method.

The possible applications of the process according to the invention areexplained by way of example in the following with the aid of FIGS. 1 to4.

Illustrated in FIG. 1 is the joint between a sheet 2 and a composite 1,containing a core b and two outer layers a and c. The weld preparationaccording to the invention in the form of a recess m in the corematerial b is also shown there.

FIG. 2 shows the fight angled connection of two composites 1 and 3 madeby means of welding the two outer layers of element 3 to the outer layera of element 1.

The recesses h and i, and k and l, in the cores of composites 1 and 3resp., are located near the weld beads d and e. The part g of the outersheet of composite 1 created by recesses h and i, may at least pressagainst or be adhesively bonded to the part of the composite 3 remainingbetween recesses k and l.

FIG. 3 shows schematically the arrangement of two composites 1 and 3 forbutt weld joining. Before welding, the surfaces a and r, and c and sresp., to be joined are positioned at a distance p of 0 to 3 mm apart.Also shown is the weld bead preparation in the form of recesses in thecores. For that, the core material in composites 1 and 3 are removedfrom the region under the areas to be welded so that there is a distanceq=0.5 to 5 mm between the core material and the places to be welded.Also shown is the acute angle α=45 to 60° formed by the surface n of thecore recess and the outer layer, and the corresponding angle β betweensurface n and the vertical to the outer layer. The angles α and β arecomplementary in that together they make up an angle of 90°, so that theangle β lies between 30 and 45°.

FIG. 4 illustrates the principle of securing a bent composite 1 in thedesired form. For that purpose, prior to bending, the outer layer a onthe inside of the bend is separated (transverse to the direction ofbending) and the core material removed on both sides of the separationline t to such an extent that the core material b is a distance q=0.5-5mm from the parts of the outer layer to be welded. After bending, theseparated outer layer ends are welded together in order to give the bentcomposite its mechanical strength.

The present process according to the invention permits composites to beemployed as structural elements in complex, mechanically stable and loadbearing structures of any desired shape.

Furthermore, this makes possible new and wider growing applications forcomposites in fields such as architecture or transportation. Also thepresent invention permits the advantages of composites such as soundproofing or small weight to volume ratio to be exploited in theconstruction of larger and complex structures.

We claim:
 1. Process which comprises: joining two elements of aluminumor aluminum alloys, wherein at least one element is a composite materialcontaining a thermally decomposable core and at least one outer layer;fusion welding a connection between said at least one outer layer of thecomposite material and the other element; and including the step ofremoving a portion of the thermally decomposable core in the region tobe welded prior to welding to such an extent that a recess is formedbetween the outer layer and the core material at the region to bewelded.
 2. Process according to claim 1, including the step of formingan undercut as a result of the recess in the core material, below theouter layer and the surface of core material, said recess thus createdmaking an acute angle of 45 to 60° with the outer layer.
 3. Processaccording to claim 1, in which the areas to be joined are set at adistance of 0 to 3 mm from each other and then welded together. 4.Process according to claim 1, in which the fusion welding is performedunder a protective gas atmosphere with inert gases.
 5. Process accordingto claim 4, wherein said inert gases contain up to 2 vol. % oxygen or upto 1 vol. % nitrogen, wherein the inert gases are noble gases selectedfrom the group consisting of argon, helium and mixtures thereof. 6.Process according to claim 1, in which for the fusion welding a weldingalloy in the form of a filler metal wire is added and, in order tominimize the amount of heat to be added, the filler metal wire isinductively preheated.
 7. Process according to claim 1, wherein saidremoving step creates a distance of 0.5 to 5 mm between the outer layerand the core material at the region to be welded.
 8. Process accordingto claim 1, wherein both elements are composite materials, eachcontaining a thermally decomposable core and at least one outer layer.9. Process according to claim 8, wherein the elements to be joinedconstitute a bent composite, and wherein a separation is formed in theouter layer of said bent composite on the inside of the bend prior tobending and transverse to the direction of bending, and after bendingthe separated areas are joined again by welding.
 10. Process accordingto claim 1, including the step of fusion welding a direct, material tomaterial connection between said at least one outer layer and the otherelement.
 11. Process according to claim 1, wherein the fusion welding isa fusion welding method selected from the group consisting of (1) TIG orMIG pulsed arc welding, and (2) laser welding.
 12. Process according toclaim 11, in which the laser employed is a CO₂ laser, having a powerrating of 2-15 kW or a Nd:YAG laser, with a power rating of 0.5-3 kW.